1.
sharp; keen; razor-sharp
Extremely sharp, with a finely honed edge or point. Used primarily for bladed objects like knives, swords, and tools. More formal and precise than the everyday word 鋭い.
鋭利な刃物に注意してください。
Please be careful with sharp blades.
犯行には鋭利な凶器が使われた。
A sharp weapon was used in the crime.
この包丁は非常に鋭利なので、取り扱いには十分気をつけてください。
This kitchen knife is extremely sharp, so please handle it with great care.
Combines 鋭 (sharp/keen) and 利 (advantage/sharpness), both reinforcing the idea of a fine, cutting edge. More formal and written than 鋭い, and used almost exclusively for physical sharpness of bladed objects.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鋭利な刃物: sharp blade/edged tool
- 鋭利な凶器: sharp weapon
- 鋭利なナイフ: sharp knife
- 鋭利な刃先: sharp cutting edge
USAGE:
Frequently appears in news reports and police descriptions when describing weapons or dangerous instruments. Unlike 鋭い, which can describe eyes, observations, or pain, 鋭利 is almost always limited to the physical sharpness of cutting instruments.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 鋭い: sharp — the everyday adjective for sharpness; can be used figuratively (sharp eyes, sharp pain, sharp observation)
- 切れ味が良い: cuts well — describes functional sharpness of a blade in practical terms
- 鈍い: dull, blunt — the opposite of sharp